Medical devices are constantly being improved upon to not only aid surgical processes, but also to help minimize the invasiveness of operations. Among other developments, much improvement has been made to medical tools, instruments, systems and procedures to enable or facilitate minimally invasive procedures. Specifically, by minimizing the incisions necessary for completing a surgical procedure, minimally invasive procedures may provide for not only shorter operation times, but also substantially shorter recovery times as well. However, making fewer and smaller incisions substantially limits access to surgical regions of interest and makes it more difficult for a surgeon to effectively complete a given task.
In a laparoscopic procedure for repairing a hernia, for instance, thin, elongated instruments or tools are inserted into relatively small incisions via access ports or trocars in the abdomen to access hernia defects in the abdominal wall from the inside. Among the tasks involved in treating a hernia defect, a surgeon may need to close and fixate separations in the tissue of the abdominal wall associated with the hernia. While laparoscopic tools and instruments for fastening tissue exist, there is no adequate device for approximating, or holding the edges of separated tissue together. Specifically, with only limited access to the interior of the abdominal wall, it is relatively difficult to approximate the edges of tissue together sufficiently to achieve more efficient tissue fixation.
Accordingly, there is a need for minimally invasive means for approximating tissue to facilitate tissue fixation, not only in association with laparoscopic procedures, but for use with any other open medical procedure involving other cavities within the body and for approximating other bodily tissues. The present disclosure serves to address this need and overcome the deficiencies set forth above. However, it should be appreciated that the solution of any particular problem is not a limitation on the scope of this disclosure or of the attached claims except to the extent express noted. Additionally, the inclusion of any problem or solution in this Background section is not an indication that the problem or solution represents known prior art except as otherwise expressly noted.